Here's something that I've wondered for quite a while.
Is it at all possible that a planet could have escaped it's star's destruction and be free roaming throughout space?
I'm not talking a small kuiper belt object or an asteroid the size of a mountain,... but rather a whole sized planet possibly the size of Earth or larger.
If a star exploded during it's final stage of life, could the shockwave dislodge and throw one or more of it's planets free before they were either destroyed or incinerated, thus sparing them total annihilation?
It's something you don't really hear any astronomers or scientists comment on or hypothesize about.
2006-08-25 15:41:00 · 9 answers · asked by Lighthawk Demon 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
What you describe is certainly possible. I'd expect it more likely though in a solar system in which the parent star shed much of its mass in a less violent manner than a supernova, something like our own sun will do in a few more billion years. The more distant a planet from the parent star the more likely that it could break free from the reduced gravity of the star and go wandering off on its own.
2006-08-25 15:56:09 · answer #1 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is absolutely possible for a free roaming planet to be traversing the cosmos. Well, at least until it's either captured by another star or collides with another object.
I'm surprised that astronomers don't say much about the probability of there being one out there somewhere.
Good question!
I often wondered if maybe that's what happened between Mars and Jupiter (the asteroid belt). They say that it's just an unformed planet. That the bits and pieces never came together due to the unique gravity situation set up between the Sun and Jupiter,... but maybe there was a planet there once and it was hit by something the size of another planet and obliterated completely leaving that ring of debris behind.
2006-08-26 05:55:05 · answer #2 · answered by Garrile N 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are several way a planet may be in interstellar space.
One way is for another star to pass close by (less than 1 light year, say) and pull a planet from the outer orbit around another star.
Another way is for a large planet (say Jupiter sized) to affect the orbit of a planet nearby.
A third is that the planet may have formed in interstellar space from the remains of a nova.
I'm sure that there are others.
2006-08-25 16:05:14 · answer #3 · answered by SPLATT 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question, There are two free-floating planets among the 205 exoplanets now known and 4 others in orbit around pulsars (burnt-out stars). Diversity is to be expected in the universe and it will cause us to rethink our theories in the light of it,
2006-08-25 19:27:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is possible and in fact, a couple of years ago, there was a story about how we had seen this...a planet leaving a star's gravitational pull.
2006-08-30 00:21:43 · answer #5 · answered by kemchan2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When a planet fall from its orbit or axis does it fall forever? or does the universe has a flat surface below?
2006-08-25 15:48:48 · answer #6 · answered by RIOT! 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
Not possible.
Energy released by a star exploding would consume planets.
2006-08-25 15:55:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
COULD NOT HAPPEN AND SUPPORT LIFE
AS
SOLAR RADIATION WOULD INCINERATE ALL LIFEFORMS ON THAT "PLANET"
AFTER A SUPER NOVA
ALL THAT COULD BE LEFT IS A SMOKY ASH
2006-08-30 13:53:28 · answer #8 · answered by s666teen 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes i would certainly imagine that it is possible!
2006-08-25 15:47:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋